The global race to secure minerals critical to the clean energy transition is driving toxic pollution with severe health repercussions for communities living near some of the world’s largest cobalt and copper mines, a new report says. U.K. corporate watchdog Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) and African Resources Watch (AFREWATCH), based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), documented the devastating human and environmental impacts of industrial cobalt mining in the DRC, which holds around 70% of the world’s reserves of the mineral. Cobalt, mined as a byproduct of copper, is vital for the rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy technologies. The vast majority of the DRC’s cobalt comes from large industrial mines in its southern cobalt and copper belt, with the remainder produced by artisanal sources. Cobalt production here increased by around 600% over the last three decades, according to research cited by RAID and AFREWATCH. The vast majority of the DRC’s cobalt comes from large industrial mines in its southern cobalt and copper belt. Image by Andrés Alegría / Mongabay. Their findings show that the mining city of Kolwezi, home to more than 500,000 people, appears to be turning into a “sacrifice zone,” with water contamination leading to health consequences and human rights abuses, the groups said in a report shared exclusively with Mongabay. The report, published today, investigated five mines operated by Chinese and European multinationals. Together, they account for two-fifths of the global cobalt supply, much of it destined for major…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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